All-Wood MP3 Player For Kids Looks, Sounds Good

It’s no coincidence that many of the world’s original musical instruments were made out of wood. This natural material is easy to manipulate and offers superior resonance and tone quality. But as our devices for listening to music have become more technologically sophisticated, we’ve moved away from wood’s natural sound and replaced it with plastic and steel.

Inspired by wood’s natural beauty, resilience and sound, Horbert’s wooden MP3 player offers young music lovers the same superior sound of modern electronics in a much simpler package.

image via Horbert

Made almost entirely by hand, the colorful cabinet is crafted from nontoxic materials and four different kinds of German wood. As DesignBuzz pointed out in a recent review, children will have fun “browsing” through their music library by pushing one of the nine buttons on the MP3 player’s face, or utilizing the skip and rewind buttons. The volume knob and on/off switch are made from anodized aluminum.

Parents will be pleased to know that batteries and the player’s SD card can be replaced simply, as no tools are required to open or secure the back panel. Easy to use software for Windows and Mac is also included. And for those who’s children already like listening to music at rock star volumes, there is a handy internal switch that can be set to “piano” or “forte,” depending on the type of music and listening environment. And for those who might be considering the Horbert MP3 player as a birthday or holiday gift, personalized engraving services are available.

Beth Buczynski is a freelancer writer and editor currently living in the Rocky Mountain West. Her articles appear on Care2, Ecosalon and Inhabitat, just to name a few. So far, Beth has lived in or near three major U.S. mountain ranges, and is passionate about protecting the important ecosystems they represent. Follow Beth on Twitter as @ecosphericblog